Aquinas - #7 Men Place Second at WHAC Championships

by RunMichigan Staff, Feb. 17, 2018

Provided by Aquinas

The #7 ranked Aquinas men's indoor track and field team earned a runner-up finish at the WHAC Championships in the Alksnis Athletics & Recreation Building on Saturday (Feb. 17). AQ had a pair of conference champions emerge on Saturday, with a number of runner-up individual performances.

The Saints captured a pair of conference titles, with Curtis Bell (SR/Coleman, Michigan) notching the pole vault WHAC championship and Will Haran (SO/Linden, Michigan) also doing so in the 600 meter run.

Bell won the pole vault conference title with a leap of 5.10 meters. His efforts allowed him to win Performance of the Meet, which tied his season-best effort. That is the highest pole vault in the NAIA this season.

The Saints also scored in spots five through eight in the event, as John Rhea (FR/Calhoun, Georgia) was fifth (4.70m), Scott Berzley (JR/Coopersville, Michigan) placed sixth (4.60m), Aaron Hodges (SR/Cadillac, Michigan) was in seventh (4.35m), and Assad Wilson (SR/South Haven, Michigan) in eighth (4.35m).

Six of the top eight runners in the 600 meter run were from Aquinas. Haran won the conference championship in a time of 1:22.24. Adam Bundy (JR/Grand Rapids, Michigan) was in fourth (1:25.50), Brody Heitzman placed fifth (1:25.82), Josh Fischer (SO/Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan) came in sixth (1:29.69), Tristan Milarch (FR/Jenison, Michigan) crossed in seventh (1:30.63), and Nicholas Socha (FR/Plymouth, Michigan) scored in eighth (1:33.53).

Arik LaFave (SO/Hesperia, Michigan) was the runner-up in the mile run at 4:23.26, while Luke Simonds (JR/Grand Rapids, Michigan) placed fifth at 4:29.75.

The 4x400 meter relay team placed second in a time of 3:27.02, as Sam Freeman (SR/Grand Rapids, Michigan), Heitzman, Demetrius Miller, and Edwin Anderson (FR/Wyoming, Michigan) earned the runner-up finish.

Nate McKeown (SO/Hesperia, Michigan) earned a runner-up finish in the high jump with a leap of 1.98 meters and was third in the long jump at 6.75 meters.

John Piatek (JR/Traverse City, Michigan) notched the runner-up tally in the shot put with a heave of 15.46 meters. Evan Pugh (SO/Venedocia, Ohio) also scored in the event with a toss of 14.23 meters. Pugh also placed fourth in the weight throw at 15.73 meters.

Arik LaFave earned a runner-up finish in the 1,000 meter run in 2:32.64, while Grayson Harding (SO/Grand Rapids, Michigan) placed third in 2:34.91. Stephen Pfahler (SR/St. Joseph, Michigan) was sixth in 2:40.70 and William Libs (JR/Ann Arbor, Michigan) scored in eighth place in 2:46.13.

Matt MacGregor (SO/Rockford, Michigan) was the runner-up in the 800 meter run in 1:58.56, with Robert Morse (FR/Traverse City, Michigan) placing third in 1:59.00. Connor McGee (FR/Traverse City, Michigan) came in eighth place in a time of 2:02.22.